daily devotional

Did you know there are crappy plans on this day of life with your name on it? Oh yes, specially designed crapfest of frustration and overwhelm just for you. We can pretend as if it’s not coming, sister we must realize the battle we’re in and gear up to fight.

2 Corinthians 2:11 says ” … Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

Are you familiar with the evil schemes of your enemy? My friend, don’t you know he’s been taking notes on you? All your life he’s been studying you and he knows EXACTLY what trips you up. He knows what steals your peace, causes you to flip out, and brings out the worst in you.

God has a plan for your life and scripture tells us it’s a good plan, a plan to prosper you and fill you with hope. And you can be assured the enemy’s plans are the EXACT OPPOSITE for you. He wants you to be defeated – desperately defeated until you lose all hope. He wants you to wake up this morning and dread every part of this day of life. He wants you to be overwhelmed with all you have to do so you find zero blessings in it all. He wants you to be stuck in the routine of it all. He wants your first thoughts to be “oh gawd, I don’t want to get up.” Depression, anxiety, worry, jealousy and stress are all on his list of plans for you today. Why? Because they render you ineffective and leave you discouraged.

Listen to me right now, don’t fall into the crappy plans of the enemy. Step intentionally into the good plans of your heavenly father who loves you and was up all night creating this day of life for you.

Sure Satan is smart and cunning and crafty with his crappy ways, but we are familiar with his evil schemes and darn it, today he will not outsmart us. Remember 2 Corinthians 2:11 says “Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

How many days of your life has the enemy’s crappy plans won out? How many perfectly good days have you wasted being angry, irritated, grouchy, lazy or absolutely clueless to the sheer miracle of simply being ALIVE? Sadly we’ve all racked up a few days like that. Maybe we just weren’t aware before, but God is growing this awareness in us now and when you know better, you can do better!

What are your triggers? What little things get under your skin and cause you to act irrationally? What trips you up?

For some of you, it’s a rough start to the morning. It’s the snooze button and running late. Hmmmmm, did you face that this morning? Yeah, that battle was handcrafted for you by the enemy, part of his all too familiar evil schemes.

Or maybe it’s waking up to a messy kitchen, a sink full of dishes and a reminder that the people you live with are 73% pig. That’s always a trigger for the wild eyed crazed ugly woman to come out in me. Yip, another handcrafted battle part of the evil schemes to trip us up.

Maybe for you it’s not really things going wrong, but things going well for those around you. You feel threatened by their success and your fear causes you to act in ways you’re ashamed of. Jealousy and bitterness get the best of you and you’re showing up as a version of yourself you don’t even remotely like. This is your button and the enemy has been slamming it hasn’t he?

For others the irrational actions are the result of assuming the worst in our overactive imagination. Our minds are filled with negative thoughts and Proverbs 23:7 tells us “as a man thinketh, so is he.” So we think crappy thoughts and of course we start acting crappy. Now who’s plan do you think that was? Ding, ding, ding, you’re right … not God’s!

And here’s the sad thing, WE ALLOW IT. We fall for it, stumble right into it, and find ourselves living this perfectly beautiful day of life upset, overwhelmed, frustrated and annoyed over the silliest things.

Don’t let Satan outsmart you – aren’t you familiar with his evil schemes by now?

Are you really going to let those stupid arguments ruin your relationships?

Are you really going to let those dishes ruin your morning?

Are you really going to be stirred up and upset that you are going to work at a job you once prayed for?

Are you really going to let those negative thoughts float around in your mind unleashed?

Are you going to believe the lies that tell you you’re not enough when God so clearly affirms you are?

It’s a trap. Recognize these things for what they are! The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He’s after your joy. He’s after your peace. He’s after your energy. Protect it. Intentionally step into the plans of God by looking around at this moment and seeing all that is good and right in your life and appreciate it. Whisper a thousand thank you’s today. Choose to bite your tongue and not lash out like you normally would over those small silly things. It takes 2 to fight, don’t be one of them.

We will not be outsmarted today – We know evil schemes when we see them. Not today Satan – NOT TODAY. You and your crappy plans can get to scooting because ain’t nobody got time for that! God has good plans for me and I’m going to step right into them.